Acetylene-gas generator



NOV. 19, 1929. sMlTH 1,736,673

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR Filed Oct. 18, 1923 IN yE/v TOR ELMER 6! JM/ 7-H1 Patented Nov. 19,1929 I UNIT D STATES ELMER HI. SMITH, F MINNEAPOLIS,MINNESOTA AICETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR Application filed October 1a, 1923.Serial No. 669,808.

This invention relates to improvements in acetylene gas generators andmore particularly relates to improvements in such generators 'of thesmall, portable type, such as.

are commonly employed in manufacturing plants for generating gas foracetylene torches, etc., and are. therefore frequently moved from place'to place.

The particular object of the invention is m to provide such an apparatushaving means provided therein for preventing water fromentering thecarbide hopper, should thegenerator be tilted at an angle .or invertedwhile being transferred from one placeto another.

A- further object is to provide a generator having means for re ulatingand controlling thekfeed of the car ide into the generator tan Theinvention consists generally' in the constructions and combinationshereinafter set forth and particularly pointed out in the claim. v

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation partially in section, showing a generatorembodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a .view showing how the generatormay be placed upon its sidewithout danger of the water entering the carbide chamber;

Figure 3 is a similar viewshowing the generator inverted; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view showing a modified construction. In thedrawing,'2 represents thebase of the tank, having the usualwater chamber3 and wall 4.; the top of the generator being provided with a suitablecover 5 through which access may be had to the interior. On the.

under side of this cover I prefer to mounta feed hopper 6 having asuitable filhng opening 7 and adischarge opening 8 at itslower end. Inthis hopper a quantity of carbide is placed. 9 is a cone-shaped feedingmember depending within the hopper an mounted on a vertical shaft 10,which projectscentrally through the cover 5 and is operatively connectedto a suitable spring-actuated motor ll, having a crank 12 providedthereon bide, in'fact, almost entirely closing the lower by means ofwhich the motor may be wound. When the motor functions, the shaft 10will be slowly revolved and the feeding member 9 willrota-te in the feedopening 8, thus agitatin the carbide and keeping itin motion suf- 5ficlently so thatit wilLnot bridge or clog in a the hopper and check thenormal feed. An annular space is provided between the feed-. ing member9 and the hopper, as shown in Figure 1, through which the carbide mayflow down through the discharge opening in the bottom of the hopper. l

A cone-shaped valve 13 is mounted on the upper endof a rod 14 that-isjournaled on a crankshaft 15, having hearings in the wall 4 of thegenerator and provided withan operating crank 16. It will beobservedfrom the dotted lines in Fig. 1 that when the valve 13 is in'highestuppermost position it does not entirely close the discharge opening ofthe hopper so thatgas generated in chamber 3 may pass into the hopperaslater explained. This valve 13 is'for the purpose of partiallyshutting off the feed of the carend of the hopper, as shown by thedotted lines in Figure 1, narrow openings, however, bein provided aroundthe valve through whic the gas from the tank beneath may flow upwardlythrough the hopper to the. 30 service pipe 17. A pipe 18 depends fromthe hopper and encircles its discharge opening 1 and has an open lowerend through which a the carbide fallsinto the water beneath, this pipeforming a continuation of the walls of the hopper and preventing thewater in the tank, when the generator is tilted,-in moving it from placeto place, from entering. the hopper andcontacting with the carbidetherein. Thus in effect, it forms a guard or shield for the open'lowerend of the hopper, pre-' venting the water from flowing therein when thegenerator is tipped down to -a horizontal position or inverte as shown1n Flgures 2 and 3. This pipe referably hasa cross bar 19 therein, whichorms a guide for the rod 14, and wherein the said rod freely slides inthe vertical movement of the valve 13. i

In Figure 4, I have shown a modified construction which consistsinproviding an annular passage 20 around the hopper communioating withthe 'de ending E1138 21 at the lover end and lea ing to t e servicepipe.

In this case the gas is not passed through the hopper and the carbide,but

around it, and the valve 13 may be moved upward to an entirely closedposition if dc sired, as shown. The pipe 21 has the same function as thepipe 18 in Figure 1, and provision is also made for rotating theconeshaped feeding member which agitates the carbide and causes it toflow downwardly through the lower end of the hopper, as previouslydescribed with reference to Figure 1.

I claim as my invention:

An acetylene generator comprising a closed casing, a carbide-hopper.enclosed in the upper portion of the casing and having a centraldischarge opening, a. water chamber in the lower portion of the casing,a rotatable cone-shaped feeding member located withinthe carbide hopperadjacent to its central' discharge opening, a manually operablereciprocable rod provided with a cone-shaped valve positioned to controlthe discharge of carbide from the hopper, and a; tubular 1 memberextending from the carbide hopper into the'water chamber, said tubularmem er being of a diameter and length so proportioned with respect tothe depth and diameter of the generating chamber as to have its lowerend lie substantially midway of the length of the casing to preventwater in the chamber enterin the carbide-hopper ifwthe generator be sujected to various angular dis lacements. n witness whereof, I. havehereunto set my hand this 11th day of October 1923.

ELMER H. SMITH. l

